Turning NIMBY's into YIMBY's
How to win community support for new multifamily housing developments in any market.
Real estate developers aren't popular. A 2017 Stanford study found that people like real estate developers only slightly more than corporate executives (one of the most-loathed professional titles in the world.)
Why are developers so despised?
Progressives argue that real estate developers are in the business of building new units and charging as much as possible for them (even if that means rents become so high longtime residents can't afford them.) So, progressives don't like developers.
Conservatives, on the other hand, look at developers as greedy competitors, increasing the housing supply and as a result reducing the value for their house. (Even though they have no basic understanding of housing economics.)
Remember, for most Americans, their home is their most significant investment and anything, or anyone, that threatens their nest-egg IS the villain.
No matter what side of the ideological spectrum community members fall, many locals see real estate developers as a threat to the character of the community, a menace to the school system, and a drain on local resources.
Real estate developers have a perception problem.
This deep-seated real estate developer animosity boiled-over in the 1980s and led to the rise of a new term to describe people that oppose new community development of all kinds: NIMBYs (An acronym for Not In My BackYard.)
In the last decade, or so, a counter-NIMBY movement has evolved: the YIMBYs. (Yes In My Backyard.) Typically, YIMBYs have shown up at community hearings in some of the most competitive housing markets in the country (San Francisco, Boston, and New York.) Amazingly, NIMBYs range from free-market libertarians to Reaganite Republicans to vocal left-wingers who believe that more housing is better for everyone. (Now, what multifamily executive doesn't agree with that?)
So, how can we foster and attract more YIMBYs to community meetings and hearings? How can we transform the general perception that real estate developers are greedy, self-centered, opportunists looking to cash in on a hot market? How can we get homeowners on our side? How can we help cities and towns embrace our properties and prospective developments as an asset instead of a threat?
The answer is to become the community's visionary instead of being just a real estate developer.
The Visionary Vacuum
I spent three years traveling around the United States trying to figure out why some cities and towns are booming while others are bust. After studying 54 cities in depth, one thing, above all, stood out: America's towns and cities are suffering from a visionary vacuum.
You see, those NIMBYs have lulled themselves into believing that someone else will reinvent our town. Someone else will attract the dreamers and the innovators. It's someone else's job to create opportunity and prosperity in this city. (After all, they have an office of economic development, don't they?) It's this mentality that has left a gaping hole in American communities. This mindset has created a visionary vacuum.
Most American cities and towns are looking for a visionary. Someone who can paint a picture of what the city should become. Someone with a plan. Someone who's here for the long term, investing in the community, and planning for success.
You see visionaries are influential. They create a sense of place, combat pessimism, reinstate a sense of community pride, and can unify even the most divided communities.
How do they do it? Visionaries transform communities from the inside out.
It's Not (JUST) About Your Property
Visionary developers don't just present renderings of their building on one city block. They don't talk about the opportunities their property creates. They don't attempt to convince the community of its value or argue about parking and traffic concerns. Instead, they lead with a unified vision of the future. How do they build this vision?
They listen.
The biggest mistake real estate developers make when presenting to a community is believing that the community's concerns revolve around the developer's new building. They don't.
The truth is a little humility goes a long way. The most successful developers take the time to talk to community leaders about their vision for the town. They speak to the CEOs of the biggest businesses around. They sit down with city officials (not to discuss permitting issues and tax abatement,) but to understand the community leader's image of the town's future. Sit down with the other developers and real estate owners in town and hear their vision. Ask them to paint you a picture of what the city looks like in ten or fifteen years and listen.
Real estate is a long game, and a rising tide lifts all ships, but I don't have to tell you that. In every bustling city I visited one thing separated the successes from the strugglers: a visionary with three simple qualities.
One: Be local.
In every single case, whether it is Quint Studer in Pensacola, Florida or Jenny Doan in Hamilton, Missouri the city's visionary owned a home in the communities where they build. Immediately, this puts the developer on the side of the other homeowners. You're no longer an outsider who owns a local property; you're a resident with a voice. If you want to transform NIMBYs into YIMBYs, buy a home and become a member of the community.
Two: Partner with Local Business Visionaries
Amazingly, many of the city's local business executives have actively avoided being part of local community development activities. It's not because they don't have a vision for the future of their company and the city in which they do business, it's because they're frustrated with the slow, bureaucratic pace at which the community moves. Sit down with the executives from the biggest companies in town and find out what they need. Are they having trouble attracting talent? Are they considering moving their headquarters because space is at a premium? Are they outgrowing the community? Arm yourself with a clear understanding of their long-term needs, and suddenly you're a key to their continued success.
Three: Tap into the Triumphs, Anomalies & Myths
One of the biggest complaints NIMBYs have with real estate developers is that they don't truly understand the community. After all, some of the most vocal community activists have lived in town for decades (sometimes generations). One of the easiest ways to embrace these community members is to dive deep into the history and heritage of the city. Before you start making waves with your new property, take the time to visit the local history museum and get to know the volunteers at the historical society. Tap into the community's triumphs and myths. Embrace the stories that those vocal community members love to tell and re-tell. I once watched an obnoxious developer adversary become a staunch and enthusiastic supporter when the real estate developer revealed the new branding for a property based on an old town legend. A legend he'd heard from a volunteer at the local library.
The most beloved and successful developers have learned how to celebrate the past while they build for the future. It's these little nods to the strong sense of place locals cherish that can help transform NIMBYs into YIMBYs.
I'm not naive enough to believe that embracing these three simple ideas will eliminate every NIMBY at your next community hearing. In even the most successful communities I visited there are still a healthy group of naysayers and skeptics posting signs and organizing petitions. That's never going to end.
However, if we want to reduce community opposition, expedite our property development, and grow the value of our investments these three simple qualities will transform the relationship you and your team have with the communities you serve.
If you'd like to learn more about the three-year journey to uncover the secret behind thriving cities and towns, check out my book, Town INC.
About Andrew Davis
Andrew Davis is a bestselling author & keynote speaker. He's built and sold a digital marketing agency, produced for NBC and worked for The Muppets. Today, Andrew Davis teaches business leaders how to grow their businesses, transform their cities, and leave their legacy.
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